GPSC Port Officer Syllabus 2026: Part-II, 200 Marks

The GPSC Port Officer syllabus for the Preliminary Test sets one common subject paper, Part-II, for four posts: Port Officer (FGM), Nautical Officer, Additional Port Officer (FGM) Class-1 and Pilot Officer (FGM), Class-1 (GMB). The Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) has released the syllabus on gpsc.gujarat.gov.in.

This page gives the exam pattern and every topic under the eight numbered subjects. The paper carries 200 questions for 200 marks, in English medium. Candidates should check all details in the article below.

Information verified from the official Gujarat Public Service Commission syllabus notice for the Part-II concerned subject.

Last verified: 4 November 2026.

The GPSC Port Officer syllabus has one Part-II concerned-subject paper of 200 questions and 200 marks, in English medium. The syllabus has eight numbered subjects, from Ship Handling, Maneuvering and Pilotage to Current Trends and Recent Advancements. The full topic-wise syllabus is given below.

Table of Contents

Quick Summary of GPSC Port Officer Syllabus

The same Part-II syllabus applies to all four posts named in the notice. The Deputy Secretary of the Commission signed the notice.

Exam pattern for the Part-II paper

Part-II concerned subject paper

The GPSC Port Officer syllabus sets the paper on the eight subjects listed below, from ship handling to current trends in the maritime field. Candidates can find more notices like this on the other exam syllabus pages of this site.

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Subject-wise GPSC Port Officer syllabus

The notice prints each subject with sub-groups. Every topic is listed below as the Commission wrote it.

1. Ship Handling, Manoeuvring and Pilotage

Ship dynamics and manoeuvring

• Turning circle, advance, transfer, tactical diameter and stopping distance; crash-stop characteristics.
• Pivot point, interaction between hull, propeller, rudder and thrusters; effects of speed and inertia.
• Wind, current, waves, squat, dynamic sinkage, shallow-water effects, bank suction/cushion and ship-to-ship interaction.
• Restricted-channel, river, canal, harbour approach and fairway navigation; effects of channel geometry and passing/meeting situations.
• Handling twin-screw vessels; fixed-pitch and controllable-pitch propellers; bow/stern thrusters; azimuth propulsion; awareness of dynamic positioning limitations.
• Berthing, unberthing, turning, swinging, emergency manoeuvres and emergency anchoring.
• Handling in adverse weather, strong tidal streams and confined waters.

Pilotage practice

• Role, responsibilities and legal position of the pilot; relationship and shared responsibilities of pilot and Master.
• Pilot–Master exchange, pilot card, master-pilot information exchange, agreed passage plan and bridge team briefing.
• Pilot boarding/disembarkation arrangements and applicable pilot ladder safety requirements.
• Pilotage passage planning, harbour entry/departure, river and night pilotage, restricted visibility and heavy-weather pilotage.
• Communication and coordination with VTS/VTMS, tugs, mooring stations, line boats and port control.
• Pilotage risk assessment, abort points, contingency planning, tug allocation and criteria for suspending or aborting a manoeuvre.

Bridge Resource Management

• Situational awareness, monitoring, challenge-and-response, closed-loop communication and assertive communication.
• Leadership, teamwork, workload distribution, decision-making, error management and fatigue awareness.
• Use of checklists, briefing/debriefing, cross-checking, escalation and management of disagreement on the bridge.

2. Navigation, Electronic Systems and COLREGS

Navigation and passage planning

• Coastal, harbour and confined-water navigation; visual bearings, position fixing, parallel indexing and radar conspicuous-point monitoring.
• Chartwork, nautical publications, Notices to Mariners, sailing directions, tide tables and navigational warnings.
• Voyage and pilotage passage planning, appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring; no-go areas, safety contours and contingency routes.
• ECDIS and ENC, radar/ARPA, AIS, GNSS/GPS, gyro/magnetic compass, echo sounder, speed log, VDR and integrated bridge systems.
• Limitations, failure modes, cross-checking and fallback arrangements for electronic navigation systems.

COLREGS

• Application and interpretation of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, as amended.
• Responsibilities, proper lookout, safe speed, risk of collision, action to avoid collision and narrow channels.
• Traffic separation schemes, overtaking, head-on and crossing situations, restricted visibility and conduct of vessels in sight of one another.
• Lights, shapes, sound signals, distress signals and responsibilities between vessels.
• Application of COLREGS in pilotage waters and interaction with local port rules and traffic management directions.

3. Under-Keel Clearance, Stability, Tides and Meteorology

Stability and vessel condition

• Principles of intact stability; basic awareness of damage stability and its operational implications.
• Draft, trim, list, heel, freeboard, loading condition and changes during cargo/ballast operations.
• Under-keel clearance (UKC): static and dynamic components, squat, tide, wave response, survey uncertainty, safety margins and operational limits.
• Calculation and verification of available depth, tidal windows and UKC using approved port procedures and current data.

Tides and currents

• Tide generation, tidal constituents and harmonic constants at an appropriate operational level.
• Use of tide tables, secondary-port corrections, spring/neap tides and tidal-stream information.
• Current set and drift, interaction with wind, cross-current effects, turning/berthing considerations and tidal windows for pilotage.

Meteorology and environmental conditions

• Wind systems, local effects, waves, swell, visibility, fog, tropical storms, cyclones and storm surge.
• Interpretation of forecasts, warnings and observations; effects of weather on manoeuvring, tug operations and safe pilotage.
• Weather-related operating limits, decision to delay/abort and coordination with port control.

4. Anchoring, Mooring and Tug Operations

Anchoring and mooring

• Anchor types, holding power, scope, cable management, anchoring plans and anchor-watch considerations.
• Single- and two-anchor operations, dredging anchor, emergency anchoring and use of anchors during manoeuvring.
• Common mooring arrangements, Mediterranean mooring, mooring equipment, line-handling risks and snap-back zones.
• Safe coordination with mooring gangs and line boats; relevant port procedures and applicable industry guidance.

Tug operations

• Tug types, capabilities, bollard pull, towline arrangements and limitations.
• Selection, positioning and deployment of tugs; push/pull methods; indirect escort-tug awareness where relevant.
• Standard tug orders, communications, line failure, tug failure and emergency contingencies.
• Assessment of environmental forces, vessel characteristics and manoeuvre requirements when determining tug assistance.

The first four subjects of the GPSC Port Officer syllabus cover handling, navigation, tides and mooring. Subjects 5 to 7 move on to machinery, law and safety.

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5. Marine Engineering and Machinery Awareness

Propulsion and steering

• Main propulsion and auxiliary machinery relevant to manoeuvring; engine response and limitations.
• Steering gear arrangements, rudder response, power generation, engine controls and emergency propulsion arrangements.
• FPP/CPP, bow/stern thrusters and azimuth propulsion: operating principles, limitations and failure implications.
• Bridge–engine-room communications, readiness requirements and verification of propulsion/steering status before critical manoeuvres.

Failure response

• Main-engine failure, steering-gear failure, blackout, thruster failure, propulsion-control failure and loss of communications.
• Immediate actions, safe speed/positioning, tug/anchor use, notification and coordination with port control.

6. Maritime Law, Port Governance and Operational Procedures

Indian maritime and port law

• Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, and other applicable legislation as amended and in force.
• Applicable provisions of the Indian Ports Act, Major Port Authorities Act, Inland Vessels Act and other relevant enactments, as applicable to the port and post.
• Port rules, conservancy regulations, local pilotage rules, directions of the competent port authority and applicable operating procedures.
• Legal duties and liabilities of the pilot and Master; incident reporting, evidence preservation and professional accountability.
• Basic awareness of admiralty law and marine insurance as relevant to pilotage incidents.

IMO conventions and codes

• Relevant operational provisions of SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, Load Lines, Tonnage, SAR, FAL and Ballast Water Management instruments.
• ISM Code, ISPS Code and relevant IMO instruments/circulars applicable to the role.
• Application of conventions to safe navigation, pollution prevention, emergency response and port operations.

Port operations and infrastructure

• Port organisation, port limits, VTS/VTMS, harbour conservancy and port emergency services.
• Channel maintenance, hydrographic surveys, dredging, berth and terminal characteristics, dry/floating docks and marine services.
• Coordination with terminal operators, tugs, mooring gangs, line boats, agents and emergency services.
• Cargo-operations awareness, including special risks associated with hazardous cargoes and vessel-specific restrictions.

7. Safety, Emergency Response and Environmental Protection

Emergency and contingency management

• Collision, grounding, fire, flooding, man overboard, main-engine failure, steering failure, blackout, tug failure and anchor emergencies.
• Emergency communications, initial response, notification, coordination, incident command and preservation of life.
• Search and Rescue (SAR), cyclone preparedness, restricted-visibility contingencies and port emergency plans.
• Risk assessment, dynamic risk review, decision-making under pressure and post-incident reporting.

Environmental protection

• Oil pollution prevention, oil-spill response, garbage and sewage management, ballast-water management and air-pollution controls.
• Pollution reporting, initial containment/response coordination and applicable environmental legislation.
• Safe and sustainable port operations, including prevention of avoidable grounding, collision and pollution incidents.

Safety culture and human element

• Professional ethics, integrity, impartiality and confidentiality.
• Leadership, communication, conflict management, stress and fatigue awareness, teamwork and emotional self-management.
• Safety culture, stop-work/abort authority as prescribed by port procedures, and learning from incidents and near misses.
• Maritime security awareness and compliance with applicable port security procedures.

8. Current Trends and Recent Advancements in the above fields

• Current Trends and Recent Advancements in the above fields.

Subject 8 has no sub-groups. It runs across the seven subjects above it, so the whole GPSC Port Officer syllabus can carry a question on a recent development.

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How to plan study with this syllabus

Subjects 1, 2 and 3 form the base of the GPSC Port Officer syllabus. Ship handling, navigation with COLREGS, and under-keel clearance with tides all feed into the later subjects, so a candidate can read them first. Subjects 4 and 5 then cover anchors, tugs and machinery, which the first three keep referring to.

Several topics repeat across subjects. Emergency anchoring sits in both Subject 1 and Subject 4. Main-engine failure, steering failure and blackout appear in Subject 5 and again in Subject 7. One round of notes on each repeated topic covers both places.

Subject 6 is mostly Acts, conventions and port rules, so it suits steady reading rather than last-minute revision. Subject 8 asks for current trends in the fields above, so candidates can attach each new maritime development they read about to one of the first seven subjects.

Candidates can use previous question papers to see how questions are framed, then tick off the syllabus line by line. New Gujarat and other notices appear under all India job updates as the Commission releases them. Candidates who want to revise the GPSC Port Officer syllabus in one sitting can print this page.

This is added context, not part of the official syllabus. Confirm with the official website.

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Important Links

FAQs

What is the GPSC Port Officer syllabus for the Part-II paper?

The Part-II paper has eight numbered subjects. They run from Ship Handling, Manoeuvring and Pilotage to Current Trends and Recent Advancements. The paper carries 200 questions for 200 marks, in English medium. Every topic is listed on this page.

How many questions and marks does the Part-II paper carry?

The GPSC Port Officer syllabus applies to a paper of 200 questions and 200 marks. The medium is English. The notice is for the Preliminary Test of the four posts named on this page.

Which posts does this Part-II syllabus cover?

The notice covers Port Officer (FGM), Nautical Officer, Additional Port Officer (FGM) Class-1 and Pilot Officer (FGM), Class-1 (GMB). The Commission issued one Part-II syllabus for the concerned subject of all four posts, so the GPSC Port Officer syllabus above is common to each.

Does the Part-II syllabus include current trends?

Yes. Subject 8 is Current Trends and Recent Advancements in the above fields. It refers back to the GPSC Port Officer syllabus above, so candidates should follow recent maritime developments in ship handling, navigation, law, safety and the other listed areas.

Written and verified by

Sandeep Khati

Founder and Editor, India Job Alerts

B.Tech in Computer Science from Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College (2010). Former Systems Engineer at TCS and in digital publishing since 2011. He started India Job Alerts in April 2025 to publish verified government and PSU job notifications for West Bengal, Sikkim and the rest of India. Every post is checked against the official notification before it goes live. Also writes about the Darjeeling hills at SearchDarjeeling.

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